双语新闻：早期版本的米老鼠将进入公共领域

An early version of Mickey Mouse, the famous Disney character, will soon belong to you, me and everybody else.

一个早期版本的米老鼠，著名的迪斯尼人物，将很快属于你，我和其他人。

The mouse that started a Hollywood empire, along with several other characters, movies, and books will enter the public domain on January 1st.

这只开启了好莱坞帝国的老鼠，以及其他几个角色、电影和书籍将于1月1日进入公共领域。

Public domain is the term to describe creative works that are no longer protected by U.S. copyright law. Once a work enters the public domain, it can legally be shared, performed, reused, or repurposed without permission or cost.

公共领域是指不再受美国版权法保护的创造性作品。一旦作品进入公共领域，它就可以被合法地共享、表演、再利用或重新利用，而无需许可或成本。

Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse, first appeared publicly in the 1928 film Steamboat Willie. Copyright law at the time provided protection for 75 years. But in 1998, U.S. law extended copyright protection for another 20 years.

米老鼠和米妮鼠首次公开亮相是在1928年的电影《威利汽船》中。当时的版权法提供了长达75年的保护。但在1998年，美国法律将版权保护延长了20年。

Jennifer Jenkins is head of Duke University's Center for the Study of Public Domain. Jenkins says copyright law is sometimes called the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. As the character is about to enter the public domain, she says "This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it's kind of symbolic."

詹妮弗·詹金斯是杜克大学公共领域研究中心的负责人。詹金斯说，版权法有时被称为《米老鼠保护法》。当这个角色即将进入公共领域时，她说:“就是这样了。这是米老鼠。这很令人兴奋，因为这是一种象征。”

In a statement, the Disney Company told The Associated Press, "Ever since Mickey Mouse's first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney's stories, experiences, and authentic products." The company added, "More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright,..."

迪士尼公司在一份声明中告诉美联社，“自从米老鼠在1928年的短片《威利汽船》中首次亮相以来，人们就把这个角色与迪士尼的故事、经历和正宗产品联系在一起。”该公司补充说，“更多现代版本的米奇将不受威利汽船版权到期的影响，……”

People will only be able to use the version of the mouse in Steamboat Willie that has become public. However, observers expect the courts to be busy in the coming years judging what is inside and outside Disney's ownership.

人们将只能使用蒸汽船威利中已经公开的老鼠版本。然而，观察人士预计，法院将在未来几年忙着判断迪士尼所有权的内部和外部。

Disney also holds a trademark on Mickey to represent the company and its brand. That law bars the use of the character as a Disney product identifier for anyone except Disney.

迪士尼还拥有米奇的商标，以代表该公司及其品牌。该法律禁止迪士尼以外的任何人使用该角色作为迪士尼产品标识符。

Others in the public domain

在公共领域的其他人

Another famous animal character, Tigger, will also join his friend Winnie the Pooh in the public domain. The bouncing tiger first appeared in the book The House at Pooh Corner by British writer A.A. Milne. It turns 96 in January.

另一个著名的动物角色，跳跳虎，也将加入他的朋友小熊维尼的公共领域。这只蹦蹦跳跳的老虎首次出现在英国作家A.A.米尔恩的《维尼角的房子》一书中。一月份就满96岁了。

The silly old bear Pooh, himself, became public property two years ago when Milne's book Winnie the Pooh came of age. The soft-spoken bear, no longer protected by copyright, is seen terrorizing women in this year's horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.

两年前，当米尔恩的《小熊维尼》一书成年时，愚蠢的老熊维尼本人就成了公众财产。这只说话轻声细语的熊不再受版权保护，在今年的恐怖电影《小熊维尼:血与蜜》中恐吓女性。

Other creative works entering the U.S. public domain are Charlie Chaplin's film Circus, Virginia Woolf's book Orlando, and Eugene O'Neill's play Long Day's Journey into Night.

其他进入美国公有领域的创作作品有查理·卓别林的电影《马戏团》、弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫的小说《奥兰多》和尤金·奥尼尔的戏剧《漫漫长夜之旅》。